


Cry

by Fall_Leaves_99



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 18:30:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19469689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fall_Leaves_99/pseuds/Fall_Leaves_99
Summary: Leonardo loves to talk about his work but when it comes to his own feelings, only a certain assassin knows how to get him to open up.





	Cry

“Where is Leonardo?” Ezio asked just as he was about to join his family members for dinner at the dining table.

He had returned from Firenze that afternoon and was tired from the days that he spent there, searching for information on Savonarola and where he was hiding the Apple. Rather than greet everyone like he would normally do when he returned, he directly went to his room to catch up on some well deserved sleep.

After waking up, he had asked the servants to draw a warm bath for him. Once done, he went downstairs to meet his family after dressing up in a plain white camise, a pair of brown breeches along with his usual leather boots, leaving his hair untied since they were still wet from the bath.

Once downstairs, he realised that his best friend was missing from the table. Leonardo had come to live in Monteriggioni for a few years now because of Mario's request. He was not only working alongside the architect for the development of their humble little town but was also working as an engineer for the Brotherhood, providing the Assassins with new weapons.

Of course he was also painting commissions for his patrons in Firenze because of which it was not uncommon for him to be away from Monteriggioni for extended periods of time. But Ezio knew that he was not away on business. He had seen Leonardo talking to Maria in the hall when he was going up to his room that very afternoon. Leonardo always joined him and his family at dinner if he wasn't away for work, which was why Ezio was confused by his absence once he joined everyone at dinner.

“He wasn't hungry Signore. I went to call him down but he refused. Said he was busy,” one of their servants replied as she promptly filled Ezio's glass with chianti, seeing the young lord take his place at the dinner table.

“But he always joins us,” Ezio said furrowing his eyebrows.

Back in Venezia, when his friend was staying alone in his workshop it wasn't uncommon for Leonardo to forget about meals because of his work. But ever since he moved to Monteriggioni, that habit was left behind since he almost became a part of the Auditore Family and having dinner together was a family rule.

“I should go check up on him.” Ezio placed his hands over the table. But just as he was about to get up from his chair his mother stopped him.

“Ezio let him be. He wasn't feeling well ever since he returned back this morning.”

“Return back? Where did he go?” Ezio questioned quizzically.

“Oh you don't know? His mother's funeral was held two days ago. He received a letter about her health conditions a few days earlier,” Claudia replied as she picked up a piece of bread from the platter placed before them.

“No I did not. I should definitely go check up on him. If you'll excuse me.” Ezio quickly got up, annoyed that he came to know about a news of such grave importance so late. He wanted to be there for Leonardo. Even now, after so many years, he vividly remembered what it felt like to watch his father and brothers die in front of his own eyes. Leonardo had helped Ezio grieve their deaths, letting him talk about them until he eventually began to cry against his best friend at the memories.

Jumping three steps at a time, Ezio quickly went up the staircase to Leonardo's room. He knocked twice. When he got no answer in return, he pushed the door open to find Leonardo working on the portrait of a woman. It was obvious that the painting had just been started recently since the canvas only had some vague charcoal lines drawn over it.

“Leo? Are you alright?” Ezio asked once he closed the door behind himself.

“Ah, Ezio. Come in. How was your trip to Firenze?” Leonardo replied with a warm smile that always adorned his face.

“It was fine. How are you feeling?” Ezio asked worriedly, staring at him for any signs of sorrow.

“I am feeling fine, Ezio. What do you think of it?” Leonardo motioned to the rough sketch on the canvas.

Dismissing the question, Ezio quickly asked, “Why didn't you tell me about your mother?”

“You looked tired when you came back. I thought that I'd tell you tomorrow. Is this why you're acting so worried?” Leonardo put down the piece of charcoal from his hand, mindlessly wiping his fingers on the sides of his breeches as he turned towards him, giving Ezio his complete attention.

“Aren't you feeling hurt? You can tell me. You know that, si?” Ezio warmly assured as he moved closer and hugged him.

“I know. You're my best friend.” Leonardo patted Ezio's back before they pulled away from each other. Leonardo sat on the bed while Ezio brought a chair opposite to him and took a seat on it.

“Why are you so calm about this? You should be crying, howling in grief,” Ezio asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“We were not really that close. Besides, I was grieving in my own way.” Leonardo motioned towards the portrait that he was working on.

“Is that her? Your mother?” 

“Si. When she was younger.”

“Why do you have to do this, Leo?” Ezio questioned, nodding his head in disbelief.

“Do what? You know I love to paint. I can't sit still, I always feel like doing something. You know that, mio amico,” Leonardo replied smiling.

“This...... Where you bury all of your feelings into your work. You'd go mad Leonardo if you keep all those emotions locked up inside yourself.” Ezio got up to sit on the bed beside him. 

“I told you I'm not….” Leonardo replied looking down at his charcoal stained hands, wiping out the black colour on his breeches again just to avoid looking at his friend.

Ezio moved closer to his friend and embraced him again.

“Ezio… you're being ridiculous. I told you I'm not sad,” Leonardo replied patting on the assassin's shoulder, silently asking him to pull away from the hug.

“Cry,” Ezio replied stubbornly, moving even closer to his friend.

“Ezio! Why would I….”

Pulling back, Ezio looked at him before replying, “Everybody should feel bad when their mother dies. I know that you're used to hiding away your feelings from the world. But I'm your best friend. You can trust me. Cry. Let it all out. You shouldn't try to keep everything inside yourself. It'll destroy you.”

“Ezio I can't just cry if I don't feel like it,” Leonardo replied, looking away to once again hide his face.

“I don't care. I'm going to hug you again and I'm not letting you go until you cry. Until you grieve your mother's death.” And with that Ezio embraced his best friend again.

“Ezio!!! Ezio, stop it! You're being…”

“Cry. It will feel better.”

Leonardo circled his arms around him as well and rested his head against Ezio's shoulder where the shirt was still wet because of Ezio's washed hair.

Ezio felt Leonardo tighten his arms around himself, leaning into him more firmly. They stayed like that for a few minutes with Leonardo slowly grasping onto his back before he began to sob softly against his neck. Ezio soothed Leonardo down, stroking his back as he whispered, “Let it all out. I'm right here.”

Leonardo began to cry with much more intensity as he felt Ezio's comforting touch against himself. Sniffling loudly as he held tighter, balling Ezio's shirt in his fists as he cried into his his shoulder. Ezio held him through it all, stroking his back as Leonardo shivered against him in pain. They didn't talk. They didn't need to. Leonardo was simply glad to have someone with whom he didn't need to hold himself back, with whom he didn't need to pretend.

Leonardo pulled back after a long while. Wiping his eyes with his palms, Leonardo finally spoke “I'm…. Thank you, Ezio. I truly did need that.”

Ezio smiled as he continued to stroke his back. “I'm glad that I could help you, like you've always helped me.”

“I don't even remember the last time that I cried, must have been decades ago,” Leonardo replied.

“You know, I told you we weren't close and I wasn't lying. But the thing that hurt me the most was that now I would never get the chance to see her again. To get to know her. I would never see my mother again, Ezio….” Leonardo began to cry again, burying his head near his Ezio's chest.

Pulling away and looking up at his friend's face with cloudy blue eyes, Leonardo said, “That's why I was drawing her, so that she would always stay close to me.” Leonardo fell silent after that, thinking about something.

“How was the funeral?” Ezio asked after a long moment of silence.

“It was good. The service was beautifully done. My brothers and sisters were there as well. So was my mother's husband. I aided with the expenses of the funeral. It was held in Vinci. She died peacefully, of old age. We buried her next to her parents, just like she had always wanted. There were lavender and rose bouquets, her favourite. I even sang and played the lyre for her. She always loved it when I played for her.”

Leonardo was smiling now, eyes shining brilliantly as he kept talking, “She was so proud of me, Ezio. Even though I only spent the first five years of my life with her, she always welcomed me so warmly whenever I visited. Always fussing about making something for me. Her cooking was so simple yet the best that I've ever had. My grandmother and my mother would tell me stories about my childhood whenever I visited them. Said that I was restless even when I was a child. Did I ever tell you that I once brought home a small wounded bird that I had found near our house and told my mother to heal it. Apparently I refused to eat for two days, because I was angry that she couldn't save it.”

Ezio quietly listened, smiling as he watched Leonardo get lost in his old memories.

“We never got to spend as much time together as others do with their mothers but she still loved me so much. She was so proud when I told her that I was going to be working for the Medici. Her husband wasn't as fond of me and neither were their children, my siblings. But my grandmother always loved me. As did my uncle, my mother's younger brother, calling me their 'piccolo genio'. They said that I was not only the first but the most successful among all her children. I liked writing to her. Even though we didn't meet regularly I still liked to inform her about what was going on in my life. I often sent her letters which she would get the local herald to read for her. You would know, you've helped me deliver them so many times when you travelled from Venezia to Firenze or Monteriggioni. I'm sorry amico mio. I shouldn't have tried to lie to you, try to convince you that I'm not hurt or that I wasn't close to my mother. I just…. I've grown so accustomed to dealing with my problems alone. It's just that I've always been told to stay strong, that nothing was ever going to be given to me without hard work. I can still hear her telling me 'You have to make a place for yourself Leo. Become the best version of yourself.' It's what every illegitimate child is taught I guess. That I'm not entitled to anything. I'm sorry Ezio.”

Leonardo stopped apologising when Ezio firmly pressed his hands. “You can try to hide and bury your problems all you want but know this, that I would always find a way to help you through them. Even if it means that I'd need to make you cry. I'm stubborn that way, especially when it comes to my best and perhaps only friend.”

Leonardo smiled warmly at Ezio's reply and hugged him again. “I wouldn't expect anything less from you Ezio.”

Pulling back, Leonardo chuckled, “I've completely ruined your shirt with my crying and all those wrinkles…”

“Eh… Nothing that can't be fixed. At least it isn't soaked with blood or torn at places because of a sword fight,” Ezio replied, smiling back.

“Or stinking because you decided to take a dive in those filthy canals of Venezia.” 

Ezio grimaced at the memory. “That was a wise decision you made, to burn those clothes.”

Leonardo chuckled at the reaction. Looking sincerely towards his friend, he added, “Grazie, Ezio. You helped me a lot today. I don't think I've felt so free in a long time.”

“Like I said, I only did what you've always been doing for me. When I first became an assassin I didn't have anyone to talk to. But you changed that when you woke me up from my nightmares and made me talk about my problems. You were always there for me. To solve my issues or to simply lend an ear when something was bothering me. I'm just glad that I was able to do the same for you.” 

“That is because you're my best friend.” 

“As you are mine. Now, I'm feeling very hungry. Let's go downstairs and eat something,” Ezio said, beginning to get up from the bed.

“You haven't eaten yet?” Leonardo asked, surprised.

“No. And I know that you haven't either. Let's go,” Ezio replied, pulling Leonardo's hand to urge him into getting up.

“The others must already be asleep by now.” Leonardo informed as they walked down the stairs.

“We'll cook something up. Won't be the first time we'll have to do so,” Ezio replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Si. You developed quite the habit of stumbling into my workshop right around midnight,” Leonardo said, smirking.

“You should be thankful, Leo. You would have starved to death because of your work if I didn't stay in your worksho,” Ezio said as they began heating up some leftovers.

“Si. And the fact that the thieves guild was the noisiest place in all of Venezia had nothing to do with why you always stayed with me,” Leonardo said, earning him a chuckle from his friend.

“I stayed with you because I always felt comfortable in your workshop. I felt like I was home whenever you were aroun,” Ezio said in an honest tone as they waited for the food to heat up.

“I always felt at home too whenever you were around,” Leonardo replied, smiling.

The two shared a lovely dinner, talking and laughing with each other. Leonardo told Ezio stories of his mother, promising to himself that she would always stay alive in his memories. They headed upstairs once they were done eating.

“Buonanotte, Leo,” Ezio said before closing the door to Leonardo's room.

“Ezio?” 

“Hmmm?” Ezio pushed the door open again.

“Do you want to stay here tonight? I'll mostly be painting the rest of the night and I wouldn't mind your company.” 

“Of course. You know how much I love to watch you work.” Ezio closed the door behind himself and sat on a chair as Leonardo picked up a piece of charcoal and began to sketch again.

Leonardo talked a bit about his mother but mostly he concentrated on the painting. A few hours later he broke down again, howling with sorrow, wailing and crying again but Ezio held him through it all.


End file.
